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March 31: Today's Birthdays

1596: Rene Descartes

Sometimes referred to as “the father of modern philosphy,” Descartes was a French philosopher,… [More] mathematician, and writer who spent much of his life in the Dutch republic. His work, ” Meditations on First Philosophy,” is a standard text at most university philosophy departments. He is is credited as the father of analytical geometry and he was also one of the key figures in the Scientific Revolution. He had a huge impact on Jewish philosophers, notably Baruch Spinoza. [Less]

1940: Barney Frank

Frank is a US Congressman representing Massachusetts’s 4th congressional district since… [More] January 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee (2007–2011) and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States. Born to a Jewish family in Bayonne, New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He worked as a political aide before winning election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1972. [Less]

1948: Rhea Perlman

Perlman is a Jewish-American actress, best known for her role as Carla Tortelli on the sitcom… [More] “Cheers,” for which she won four Emmy Awards. Born in Brooklyn, she is an active Democrat. She married Italian actor Danny DeVito in 1982. The couple has three children. [Less]